Megaload violates terms of permit and breaks past blockade into the Wild and Scenic River Corridor

Idaho State Police hold up traffic to get megaload ahead of protesters-

U.S. Highway 12, Idaho. “Fighing Goliath” is an organization of local Highway 12 citizens trying to protect their property, lives, and beautiful outdoors from “Corporate Canada” and its enablers in Idaho government.

They have a blog detailing what is going on. We took the following from it about what happened on night 3 (Aug 7-8 night). The megaload got well beyond their planned destination with a phalanx of state troopers who held up legitimate traffic headed east on Highway 12 and the parked in violation of their state permit at Syringa inside the National Forest and the Wild and Scenic River corridor.

. . . . .

Night 3: As the megaload left Mile 38.8 below Orofino, for the third night, the Nez Perces blockaded it.

More police officers preceded the megaload than the previous 2 nights, and they aggressively drove their vehicles towards the blockade in an attempt to force the blockaders into retreating. When the Nez Perces held their ground, officers approached on foot, shouted “get off the road,” and physically pushed some of the protesters toward the roadside. Yet the Nez Perces remained in a group and gradually began to move backwards, intentionally slowly, as the police vehicles and megaload convoy were relegated to following at a snail’s pace for a mile or two through the Riverside area of Orofino.

The Omega Morgan megaload reached Hwy. 12 Milepost 90, Syringa, last night, within the Clearwater National Forest and the Wild & Scenic Middlefork corridor. They did that by breaking the stipulations of their permit & filed travel plan. Instead of stopping regularly to let traffic pass, as required, they held all cars traveling east hostage behind 2 Idaho State Police vehicles, who led what was at one point 40+ personal vehicles and forced them to travel at 0-17 mph speeds for 51.2 miles. In other words, corporate Canada ‘owned’ and controlled your highway last night, aided by state police.

Folks can read the Fighting Goliath blog and read the above by scolling down. There are also photos mixed in of the protest and the backed up automobiles.

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Ralph Maughan

Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides.

7 Responses to Megaload violates terms of permit and breaks past blockade into the Wild and Scenic River Corridor

This makes me very angry. It looks like we now live in a corporate controlled police state. It reminds me of the late 60s and early 70s, when people were protesting the Vietnam war. Apparently the new boss is the same as the old boss.

What is the legal basis for the Nez Perce attempting to stop or impede the convoy, on a federal highway easement through a federally created reservation? What is the Federal Highway Administration’s view of this, especially with two state oversize load permits in hand, and all the necessary infrastructure in place to do the loads?

Are these deviations from the permit activities (stopping points, etc.) material breaches of the permit, or were they agreed to by ID Highway folks as practical modications that were approved? That is a bit different from saying they violated their permit, but doesn’t make as good of a dastardly story to tell.

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‎"At some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home and our being, drive a spear into the land and say to the bulldozers, earthmovers, government and corporations, “thus far and no further.” If we do not, we shall later feel, instead of pride, the regret of Thoreau, that good but overly-bookish man, who wrote, near the end of his life, “If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behaviour."